You May Qualify for a Grocery Credit Refund

TWIN FALLS, Idaho – If you don’t make enough money to file an income tax return, you may be eligible to get a break on your grocery bill.

According to the Idaho State Tax Commission, Idaho residents who don’t normally make enough money to file an income tax return can still get a refund of the grocery tax credit for 2016.

The tax credit, which offsets the sales tax on groceries, is $100 for most Idaho residents who aren’t required to file an income tax return, plus $100 for each of their dependents. Residents age 65 and older get $20 more.

To qualify for the refund, residents must have lived in Idaho during all of 2016. (Dependents born or adopted in 2016 and residents and dependents who were deceased in 2016 qualify for the full credit.)

If Idaho residents received federal food stamps, were in jail, or were in the U.S. illegally for part of the year, their refund will be prorated to exclude the months those conditions applied.

More than 65,000 residents last year who weren’t required to file a tax return filed for a grocery credit refund.

Residents 65 and older, and their spouses, can claim the refund by filing a Form 24, Idaho Grocery Credit Refund. Residents under 65 should file their claim on Form 40, Idaho Individual Income Tax Return.